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As a winter storm continues to dump wet, heavy snow on the area, Chicago Public Schools has canceled all district-run after-school programs and sports games and practices for Friday and Saturday.
The move comes after hundreds of districts in the area called off classes or switched to virtual learning amid the storm, which also grounded and delayed airplanes at both of Chicago’s airports.
Parents of CPS students were also notified of the cancellations via robocalls, texts, and emails.
School is closed Monday, Jan. 15 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In a news release, district officials said staff and families will be notified this weekend as to whether there will be classes on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Or whether any events scheduled at schools during the Monday holiday will still happen.
ALERT: Due to inclement weather, all CPS-managed after-school and out-of-school programs are CANCELED for Friday, January 12, and Saturday, January 13. https://t.co/pqYDhYxw0R pic.twitter.com/7n7MacK5Ja
— CPS - Chicago Public Schools (@ChiPubSchools) January 12, 2024
Officials said they will consider temperatures, wind chill, snow accumulation, building accessibility, bus transportation, and potential issues with heating systems at schools before deciding to cancel school or extracurricular activities.
According to the news release, testing to get into selective enrollment schools will continue at the Illinois Institute of Technology this weekend. Families would have scheduled testing dates when they submitted their GoCPS applications to attend schools outside their neighborhood-assigned one.
Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.
